Fight or Die
by Kaori Nozomi
Summary: The time has come. Doctor Iwamine plans to murder me. But it doesn't have to end this way.


***Spoilers* After finishing Hatoful Boyfriend with Iwamine Shuu, I was a bit upset that he killed my character, so I wrote an alternate ending.  
**

* * *

"Ah, such a lovely face you have, Miss Tousaka. I have long desired to see your face like this…" the partridge grinned and took a step towards me.

The stench of blood filled the room and my mind reeled with all that had been revealed to me. Just a few minutes ago, I was a normal high school student at St. PigeoNation's Institute. All it took to shatter my carefree existence was for me to show up early for my final day of infirmary duty. There had always been rumors about how students disappeared after visiting the infirmary, but I'd thought these tales were nothing but urban legends. Now, having seen the remains of the doctor's latest victim spattered across the bed, I realized that the rumors had all been true. Doctor Iwamine Shuu was… what? Evil? Some part of my mind refused to believe that. We had worked together in the infirmary for years. I had come to care about him.

"All this time, you knew I was dangerous, didn't you? You understood that I would eventually kill you, and yet you continued to see me. Hoho, could you possibly have had... feelings for me?" Iwamine sounded amused and mocking. His hulking form loomed over me and he ran the tip of his wing down my throat.

I wanted to say something, to deny that I could ever have feelings for such a monster, but nothing came out. Terror had stolen my speech. Besides, I wasn't sure if I loved Shuu or not. Without thinking, I began to slowly step away from him, my hands stretched behind me, desperately grasping for something. Escape was impossible: Iwamine had locked the door.

Now that I knew the truth, every moment that the doctor had stopped to observe me surfaced in my memories. I could finally see that he had never thought of me as more than an experiment. But observation could only tell him so much. Sooner or later, the good doctor would have to dissect his specimen.

The doctor looked at me with a strange fondness. "Truth be told, I _have_ grown rather fond of you. I so look forward to studying your insides, but simply dissecting you would be such a waste, so I've decided to keep your head. Don't worry, I'll put care into preserving your beautiful face. This way, I'll be able to have you by my side. Forever."

'But it doesn't have to end this way,' I wanted to say, but couldn't.

I suddenly notice the cleaver wrapped in his left wing. This was it. He was really going to kill me.

"You've been flirting with death, my dear. Have you nothing more to say?"

'It doesn't have to end this way,' my mind pleaded with him and my eyes welled with tears.

The doctor moved with me as I stepped away from him. I knew he was backing me into a corner. Then, just as the he raised the cleaver above his head, my outstretched fingers found something. My hand gripped Iwamine's desk chair. My hunter instincts kicked in: fight or die.

"It _won't_ end this way!" the words exploded from my throat as I swung the chair. It cracked against his skull and I watched as the doctor's eyes rolled up towards the ceiling. His body sunk to the floor and the cleaver tumbled out of his wing.

I stood there in shock, staring at the doctor for a long moment. Had I killed him? I felt relief for having escaped death, but another feeling seemed to creep up on me: sorrow. My heart ached at the thought of losing him.

It was only after I noticed Iwamine's chest rising and falling with each breath that I was able to move. I wouldn't be able to escape from him a second time. I had to get out. I had to turn him in to the police. I began to search the doctor's body for the key to the infirmary door. It wasn't difficult to find, and I immediately started for the door. I placed the key in the lock, but before turning it, I looked back at Shuu.

My heart ached more at the sight of him, outstretched across the floor. If I left, it was very possible that I'd never see him again. My fingers still tingled from running them over his feathers. Until that moment, I had never noticed how soft his quills were.

My eyes moved about the room, finally settling on the medicine cabinet. It was well stocked with tiny glass bottles, labeled with names that I couldn't pronounce.

'Sleeping pills,' I remembered, ' Doctor Iwamine mentioned that he used sleeping pill on his victims.'

My mind and body went numb, and I went to the medicine cabinet. The sleeping pills were there. I took a few capsules and moved to Shuu's side. Prying his beak open, I shoved the pills down his throat. Once they took effect, I knew I'd be safe from him for a few hours. Then I looked to the bed, all bloodied and covered in feathers. This was my last day of Infirmary duty. It's my job to keep the place clean.

I recall very little from the hours I spent scrubbing blood in the infirmary. When next I knew, I was hiding in a classroom on the opposite side of the school, crying into the feathered bosom of my closest friend, Ryouta. I remember begging him to never go to the infirmary again, no matter how sickly he became. Out of concern, he insisted that I spend the night at his house. I never did tell him, or anyone else, what had happened.

* * *

Shuu awoke to the sound of the infirmary door clicking shut.

"Doctor Iwamine, may I talk to you for a minute?" the voice was that of the math teacher, Mr. Nanaki.

Shuu forced his eyes open and saw that he was sitting at his desk. He looked around, confused. He didn't remember cleaning up the remains of his experiment, but the room looked spotless. Everything appeared to be in order, except a folded scrap of paper on his desk. His name had been written across it. Ignoring the teacher, Shuu unfolded the note and read:

_I've tidied things up as best as I could. It may not be up to your standards, but at least the room looks presentable now. If you're feeling groggy, it's probably because of the sleeping pills. Sorry, but you gave me no choice._

_You were right, Doctor. I do love you. As long as my heart beats, I will continue to love you. I want to live by your side. Forever. That's a dream that I'm willing to fight for._

_All my love, Tousaka Hiyoko_

"Fascinating," Shuu muttered to himself. He received confused looks from the math teacher.

The doctor _was_ fascinated. He found it hard to believe that this girl could continue to care for him even after almost being murdered. She was truly unlike anyone he'd ever encountered. Shuu realized that the more he observed her, the more fascinating she became. Perhaps he had been too hasty in his decision to end her life.

'Perhaps,' he thought, 'it _would_ be interesting to have her around.'


End file.
